Darfur city's last hospital forced to shut down amid intense fighting
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The only operational hospital in El-Fasher, situated in western Sudan, has been forced to close after an attack by paramilitary forces.
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Sudanese refugees displaced by the conflict in Sudan gather to receive food staples from aid agencies at the Metche Camp in eastern Chad, on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (AP)
The sole functioning hospital in El-Fasher, in western Sudan, has ceased operations following an assault by paramilitary forces attempting to capture the critical Darfur city, as reported by Doctors Without Borders.
Conflict has persisted for over a year between the conventional military forces led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, once commanded by his former deputy, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.
El-Fasher, situated in North Darfur, stands as the sole state capital in the expansive western region not under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). It serves as a pivotal humanitarian center for a region teetering on the verge of famine.
"On Saturday, MSF and the ministry of health suspended all activities in South Hospital, El-Fasher, North Darfur, after RSF soldiers stormed the facility, opened fire and looted it, including stealing an MSF ambulance," said the NGO in a statement posted late Sunday on X.
🔴 Breaking: On Saturday, MSF and the Ministry of Health suspended all activities in South Hospital, Al Fasher, North Darfur, after RSF soldiers stormed the facility, opened fire, and looted it, including stealing an MSF ambulance. 1/8⬇️
— MSF Sudan (@MSF_Sudan) June 9, 2024
'An alarming new phase'
Since the outbreak of war in April 2023, El-Fasher has experienced intermittent clashes, but the conflict escalated significantly on May 10, leading to intense fighting. UN Chief Antonio Guterres has characterized this resurgence as "an alarming new phase" in the conflict.
Since then, a conservative estimate by the medical charity indicates that "at least 192 people have lost their lives, and over 1,230 have been injured" in the city.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported that "intensified fighting" around the hospital earlier in the week necessitated its evacuation. By the time of the paramilitary attack, "only 10 patients and a scaled-down medical team" remained at the hospital.
"Most patients and the remaining medical team... were able to flee the RSF shooting," MSF added.
It emphasized that "due to the chaos, our team was unable to verify if there were any killed or wounded" in the latest attack.
Michel-Olivier Lacharite, head of emergencies at MSF, said it was "outrageous that the RSF opened fire inside the hospital".
"Warring parties must halt attacks on medical care," he stressed. "Hospitals are closing. Remaining facilities can't handle mass casualties."
It is worth noting that the conflict throughout Sudan has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of individuals, with UN experts estimating up to 15,000 fatalities in a single town in West Darfur. Nearly nine million people have been displaced from their homes as a consequence of the ongoing war.
Both opposing factions have faced allegations of committing war crimes, which include purposefully targeting civilians, indiscriminate shelling of residential zones, and obstructing humanitarian aid.
Additionally, rights organizations and the United States have accused paramilitary groups of engaging in ethnic cleansing and perpetrating crimes against humanity.
Read next: Sudan: A borderless conflict
